Reworded Question: My cat birth to 2 kittens but still looks pregnant. What's wrong?

Question

Her vet is out of town, and there are obviously none still open at this hour around here. Our neighbors, that gave her to us when they moved, said she's given birth 4 successful times (they hadn't got her spayed and she was obviously pregnant when we got her) and also said we could tell when she did because she immediately drops down to her normal weight. But that hasn't happened. She gave birth to the last kitten about 24 hours ago. I'm pretty sure it's not milk that's causing her to still be as big, what could be wrong? How can I tell if there are still kittens in there, or do I have to have her x-rayed for that? Any help is appreciated!

P.S. To those who have answered a question like this, I had to reword mine so that it gave more usual information!

Answer 1

There may be more kittens in there.  Its not unusual for cats to have their kittens several hours apart.  (Shame on your neighbors for not having her spayed.  I'm glad she has you now and you obviously care about her well being!)

The vet should have someone covering for him/her while out of town.  There are also animal hospitals with 24-hr on-call emergency services if needed.  If she is really worrying you, call one and describe any symptoms she's having and see what they say.  If she otherwise seems fine, wait and call in the morning.

Answer 2

Congratulations! You're a new mom...er, your cat is. What most people don't realize is that cats can start mating as early as 6 months of age, and up until recently, science wasn't able to allow kittens to be "fixed" (spayed or neutered) until 6 months. That left a gap in which your tom cat could become a father...or your little girl a mother. Luckily, we're now able to get kittens fixed as soon as they weigh two pounds, or about 8 weeks old. This reduces not only the number of kittens born each year, but the chance that your cat will develop the hormones that causes them to "spray", or mark their territory with an awful scent that lingersChances are, if you're an observant owner, you'd have noticed beforehand that she was getting a little large round the middle. Mating season begins when the weather starts to get warm, around March or April, and lasts till about October or November--sometimes December! A cat's gestation period (the amount of time she carries the kittens in her womb) is about 65 days. It is possible, though the earlier the better, to abort the kittens and have your cat fixed while she's pregnant. The later the stage in her pregnancy, though, the greater the risk for her under anesthesia. However, the younger the cat, the more difficulty she'll have with the pregnancy, so it's a good idea to check with a vet as soon as you suspect she's "got buns in the oven".  

How do I prepare for a birthing cat? To prepare for a birthing mother, you'll need some basic things: a kittening box, or a suitable, semi-enclosed area where the mother can birth the kittens (a box about 24 inches long, 20 inches wide and 20 inches tall is perfect, but make sure to cut a doorway about chest-high for her to come and go without jumping), lots of newspapers or clean towels that can be changed often, and some thread to tie off umbilical cords if necessary. Sometimes mothers (especially first-timers) will get too tired to do this, so you'll have to go in with a small length of thread and tie it around the cord not far from the belly, cutting off the circulation. Then clip the placenta free and tuck the kitten close to its mother. Be careful in your observations; some cats hate to be watched and might feel threatened by human presence. It's best to leave birthing mothers alone, but you can check in from time to time to make sure things are going smoothly. Mothers, or queens, can have anywhere from 1 to 8 kittens, but rare cases have been documented where there were 9 and even 10. Veteran mothers will be able to care better for bigger litters, but she still might become too tired, or she may not have enough nipples with milk to go around, and in the end you might have to bottle feed them.  

When will the kittens be ready for adoption? Kittens are ready to be adopted out around 8 weeks of age, or about 2 lbs. Finding good homes can be a little more work than sticking a box out in front of Safeway, but well worth it and a help to our cause in the end. So many of the kittens we get in the shelters are from owners that passed them out to kids who, upon arriving home with the kitten, immediately takes a trip to the shelter with the excuse "we never wanted it in the first place". It puts you and the kitten at a disadvantage, since an estimated $50 million of America's taxes go to euthanising and caring for unwanted animals.

Answer 3

In all pregnancies - human or animals - it usually takes a little more than 24hours for the body to start resuming it's normal shape - remember also she's lactating for her kittens .... you could try gently squeezing her around her bell and see if there feels like there are any 'balls' in there - that would tell you if there are any unborn kittens yet ... is she eating ok, sleeping ok, going to the toilet ok, is she looking after her babies well - feeding and washing them?  Does she seem ok in her self?  If the answer to this is all ok then you probably don't have any problems.... give it another 24 hours or until as soon as you can see the vet just to be sure - it won't hurt to get her checked anyway ....  Well done for caring for her so much!

:)